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2016 PGA Championship Predictions

Wow, another major is upon us already! With the condensed scheduling due to the Olympic Games in Rio, the year’s final major, the PGA Championship, is being contested just two short weeks after the Open Championship.

The PGA returns to the Lower Course at Baltusrol Golf Club, where Phil Mickelson picked up his first Wanamaker Trophy back in 2005. Will Lefty be able to turn back the clock, ride the momentum from his strong Open Championship showing, and be victorious once again at Baltusrol?

Or will another first time major winner emerge, making it a clean sweep of first-timers in 2016?

One thing we know for sure– Baltusrol should yet again provide an exciting championship and a deserving champion. In addition to the PGA Championship in 2005, the Lower Course at Baltusrol has also hosted four U.S. Open Championships, two of those won by Jack Nicklaus (1967 and 1980). Distance will be an asset, but only if you’re playing from the fairway, as the Lower Course demands precise approach shots.

The unique layout at Baltusrol finishes with two strong par 5’s — the 647 yard 17th hole and the 553 yard 18th hole, which are both certain to play a pivotal role in this championship. Here’s hoping these two par-5’s generate some Sunday fireworks.

Once again the Offcourse panel of “experts” swung, missed, fell to the ground, and got run over by a golf cart with their Open Championship predictions, except for Josh Fafard who correctly predicted one million umbrellas in the gallery at some point due to horrible weather. We’re just getting warmed up though, and are certain to finish the season strong! Here we go, our picks for the 2016 PGA Championship:

Roger Kingkade’s picks (Offcourse co-founder)

Winner – After three failed predictions this year, I’m just going to play it safe and go with Jason Day.

Contender – Phil. He’s on fire right now.

Random prediction – Spieth will miss the cut. If he makes the cut, he’ll finish well back. He’s got to get his game together.

Josh Fafard’s picks (Offcourse co-founder)

Winner – Rickey Fowler. I just really want to see Fowler win. Do I think he’s got a better chance than the field? Nope. But it would be great to see him win.

Contender – I’ll put Henrik Stenson down as a dark horse, especially if he gets hot on Saturday. 10 birdies and a final round 63 in the last Major is a pretty compelling case for why he could win at Baltusrol.

Random prediction – This tournament will be one by a golfer who has never before won a major.

Josh Strukoff’s picks (Offcourse blog contributor)

Winner – Dustin Johnson. With Baltusrol’s back-to-back par 5’s on the 17th and 18th holes, DJ has the fire power to take advantage of these holes and close the door on the championship when it matters most. Oh, yeah, and he’s been playing pretty good this season.

Contender – Matt Kuchar. To be honest, I have no idea why Matty will do well at Baltusrol, but I just have a hunch he’s in store for a great week. Plus he’s a nice guy.

Random prediction – Rory won’t have a realistic chance to win on Sunday, but he will chalk up another backdoor top-10 after a solid Sunday round.